The Spotlight Is on You: Gauging the Sustainability of a Continuing Professional Development Pilot Program

Abstract

Background:

Respiratory therapists across the country are expected to maintain their continuing education units (CEU) to retain credentialing through the National Board Respiratory Care. Additionally, most hospital departments also require yearly CEUs as a job expectation. Provision of educational opportunities can be difficult due to assignments, varying shift times, and patient acuity. To address these challenges, we aimed to design a program that would run on staff's scheduled shifts and be a sustainable and effective active learning tool. In addition, we aimed to demonstrate competency in the use of patient equipment and procedures.

Methods:

We designed a pilot program called 'Spotlight' in an effort to educate and document competency. Spotlight was mandatory for therapists employed less than two years at our institution and was optional for all therapists. The average time employed for Phase I was 1.5 years while Phase II was 1.35 years. Each phase was slotted to run for two weeks every two months. During each phase, a group of two to four staff members was released from patient care to attend an educational talk and hands-on session. Each session was designed to take one hour. Initial data has been collected over a nine-month span with ongoing phases occurring.

Results:

Phase I ran from August 14th- August 30th and spanned 480 min, averaging 20 min of education time per therapist. A group of two averaged 40 min, a group of three 60 min, and a group of four 80 min. Phase II ran from December 30th- January 17th and spanned 340 min, averaging 15 min of education time per therapist. Groups of two averaged 30 min, a group of three 45 min, while a group of four 60 min. Phase I required more total time due to hospital acuity resulting in additional sessions. After each session, individual check-offs were conducted to gauge the effectiveness of the sessions; 100% competency in the designated procedures and equipment was achieved in the targeted staff.

Conclusions:

It was increasingly difficult to conduct Spotlight sessions during the high acuity viral season. Short-staffed days and attempting to release therapists from assignments became taxing. The next phase is scheduled for the end of May 2018; four months after the last phase, lying outside our goal. The strength of the CE tool lies in the ability to have assessments completed in a timely manner so therapists remain competent in their skills, equipment, and procedures.

Figure 1: Breakdown of total time per phase and average time per therapist spent during the two phases of Spotlight